Back for Good.
#16
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
We don't regret moving back and were in Spain 15 years and have Spanish relatives. We feel relieved to have sold and got our money out. I do have many good memories though and am still in touch with people living there. I know quite a few who are desperate to sell.
Lots of things wrong with the UK too but at least I know we are treated as equals. Great to see more of family too
Lots of things wrong with the UK too but at least I know we are treated as equals. Great to see more of family too
#17
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 15
Re: Back for Good.
Really interested to know how you fare once back in the UK. We are currently living in France and have been here for nearly 8 years. We are really wanting to sell up but no one is even looking at the moment. Our main reasons for wanting to leave is more about education (kids are doing well but haven't embraced French life at all). The French are very rigid in their learning - you are not encouraged to be creative or individual, so when everyone laughed at George Bush for saying the French don't have a word for 'entrepreneur', I actually can see what he means!
Miss family and friends. I miss being understood, miss having a laugh and a joke.
So ready to go back to the cold and wet weather and cultural stuff like decent museums and theatre - even if I don't go, at least it's available to us!
Good luck with your move.
Miss family and friends. I miss being understood, miss having a laugh and a joke.
So ready to go back to the cold and wet weather and cultural stuff like decent museums and theatre - even if I don't go, at least it's available to us!
Good luck with your move.
#18
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
Really interested to know how you fare once back in the UK. We are currently living in France and have been here for nearly 8 years. We are really wanting to sell up but no one is even looking at the moment. Our main reasons for wanting to leave is more about education (kids are doing well but haven't embraced French life at all). The French are very rigid in their learning - you are not encouraged to be creative or individual, so when everyone laughed at George Bush for saying the French don't have a word for 'entrepreneur', I actually can see what he means!
Miss family and friends. I miss being understood, miss having a laugh and a joke.
So ready to go back to the cold and wet weather and cultural stuff like decent museums and theatre - even if I don't go, at least it's available to us!
Good luck with your move.
Miss family and friends. I miss being understood, miss having a laugh and a joke.
So ready to go back to the cold and wet weather and cultural stuff like decent museums and theatre - even if I don't go, at least it's available to us!
Good luck with your move.
Last edited by scampicat; Dec 5th 2011 at 9:48 am.
#20
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
Thanks, we arrived in dark, grey and rainy Wolverhampton about an hour ago
#22
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
We're getting on with our new life and to that end have applied to two home/petsitting agencies and are awaiting interviews.
Still enjoying it and know it was he right thing to do.
Spanish house sale has still not completed, but we're hoping for this month sometime.
Still enjoying it and know it was he right thing to do.
Spanish house sale has still not completed, but we're hoping for this month sometime.
Last edited by scampicat; Jan 8th 2012 at 6:02 am.
#23
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 15
Re: Back for Good.
Good luck with that. Someone that stayed with us paid a pet sitter £300 per week, I was amazed, but a great idea if you can get the work.
We've just spent Xmas and New Year in the UK and had a lovely time and struck by how friendly people are. We took time to chat to shop owners and market stall holders - and they want to speak! We went for walks and people said hello. Even my 14 yr old was struck by how people have a banter in the shops - something she's not seen here in France.
We know it won't always be easy, but without the language barrier it will certainly help!
More than ever we want to move back, so fingers crossed that the euro stays put until we've sold.
We've just spent Xmas and New Year in the UK and had a lovely time and struck by how friendly people are. We took time to chat to shop owners and market stall holders - and they want to speak! We went for walks and people said hello. Even my 14 yr old was struck by how people have a banter in the shops - something she's not seen here in France.
We know it won't always be easy, but without the language barrier it will certainly help!
More than ever we want to move back, so fingers crossed that the euro stays put until we've sold.
#25
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
Good luck with that. Someone that stayed with us paid a pet sitter £300 per week, I was amazed, but a great idea if you can get the work.
We've just spent Xmas and New Year in the UK and had a lovely time and struck by how friendly people are. We took time to chat to shop owners and market stall holders - and they want to speak! We went for walks and people said hello. Even my 14 yr old was struck by how people have a banter in the shops - something she's not seen here in France.
We know it won't always be easy, but without the language barrier it will certainly help!
More than ever we want to move back, so fingers crossed that the euro stays put until we've sold.
We've just spent Xmas and New Year in the UK and had a lovely time and struck by how friendly people are. We took time to chat to shop owners and market stall holders - and they want to speak! We went for walks and people said hello. Even my 14 yr old was struck by how people have a banter in the shops - something she's not seen here in France.
We know it won't always be easy, but without the language barrier it will certainly help!
More than ever we want to move back, so fingers crossed that the euro stays put until we've sold.
We get £175 for ten days dog-sitting, but it depends how many animals you have , this was for three dogs. I suppose if there is a horse or something then it would be more. Then to the client there are the agency fees on top, so that would come to about £300.
As for the euro, we have everything crossed too! There is still a chance that the bank will change their minds about our buyer's mortgage!
I hope you can get back quickly.
Last edited by scampicat; Jan 9th 2012 at 5:34 am.
#26
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
The delay is due to the fact that our deeds did not reflect what was actually there (very common in Spain, no-one bothers to update them). We were told they were OK when we bought it. But our buyer is having a mortgage, so the bank wanted accurate 'papers' befoore lending, it then fell to us to have the deeds updated to reflect the new size. We have not extended in any way, but it is still our responsibility to update the deeds. We have had to have new deeds redrawn and approved by the College of Architects and a Notary. This is Spain so everything grinds along very slowly. Then there is a twenty working day waiting period in case anyone objects. This period has now hopefully finished so the lawyer can press ahead with the completion of the sale. It has taken about five months and cost 7.5k euros.
So let's hope all is well and that our buyer can still have his mortgage. he has been very patient!
Last edited by scampicat; Jan 9th 2012 at 5:37 am.
#27
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 15
Re: Back for Good.
I thought France was bad enough with all the red tape, but I had heard that Spain was having loads of problems with land grab and all that, so maybe you are getting off lightly - money for old rope though for the lawyers.
Pet and house idea sounds good. Not a bad way to spend your day. I guess it can get busy leading up to the summer months and presumably you could do more than one lot of animals/houses over the same period. I hadn't realised there was a demand, but the person that stayed said it was big business where people don't want to use the kennels. I have to say the people who looked after our cats when we were back in the UK for 14 days got a tin of fudge and some cheese and crackers! lol
Pet and house idea sounds good. Not a bad way to spend your day. I guess it can get busy leading up to the summer months and presumably you could do more than one lot of animals/houses over the same period. I hadn't realised there was a demand, but the person that stayed said it was big business where people don't want to use the kennels. I have to say the people who looked after our cats when we were back in the UK for 14 days got a tin of fudge and some cheese and crackers! lol
#28
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
I thought France was bad enough with all the red tape, but I had heard that Spain was having loads of problems with land grab and all that, so maybe you are getting off lightly - money for old rope though for the lawyers.
Pet and house idea sounds good. Not a bad way to spend your day. I guess it can get busy leading up to the summer months and presumably you could do more than one lot of animals/houses over the same period. I hadn't realised there was a demand, but the person that stayed said it was big business where people don't want to use the kennels. I have to say the people who looked after our cats when we were back in the UK for 14 days got a tin of fudge and some cheese and crackers! lol
Pet and house idea sounds good. Not a bad way to spend your day. I guess it can get busy leading up to the summer months and presumably you could do more than one lot of animals/houses over the same period. I hadn't realised there was a demand, but the person that stayed said it was big business where people don't want to use the kennels. I have to say the people who looked after our cats when we were back in the UK for 14 days got a tin of fudge and some cheese and crackers! lol
I suppose it's the same as baby-sitting really - you wouldn't just pop in occasionally to feed the baby and make sure they were OK.
However, cats, dogs, small rodents, house plants, fish, even reptiles....bring them on, I will enjoy looking after them. But PLEASE never ask me to babysit!
Last edited by scampicat; Jan 9th 2012 at 7:27 am.
#29
Ex Expat
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Back for Good.
House sale due tocomplete on April 25th.